How life has changed in York

York's population increased by about 17,000 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the most notable changes among the local population.

The population reached nearly 200,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of York increased by 9.4%, from about 181,000 to 198,000.

The addition of almost 17,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, York was home to, on average, 5.2 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Average age stable in York

Latest census data also show that the median age of York remained 38 years in the decade to 2011.

This area had a slightly lower average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and became slightly younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 7,600 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 3,000.

About 17.0% of people in York are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and York by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in York

The percentage of York residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.5% to 2.8% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 16 (6.4%) reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 6.9% in 2001. The percentage of York residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 90.8%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More students

York saw Yorkshire and The Humber's second-largest rise in the proportion of students.

In 2011, just over 1 in 18 (5.7%) people aged 16 to 74 in York said they were in education, compared with 3.9% in 2001. The percentage that were employed decreased from 54.4% to 53.1%.

Across the region, only Sheffield saw a greater rise in the proportion of students (from 3.3% to 5.6%).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of students, as the regional average grew from 2.5% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in York increased by 1.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in York, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in York with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 8.4% to 8.0% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over one in four (25.5%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 26.0% in 2001. The percentage of households in York without children increased from 65.5% to 66.5%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Changing household dynamics

The percentage of households in York, which comprised one person, decreased from 30.6% to 30.2% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11.0%) households had an unmarried couple, compared with 8.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in York which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 36.0% to 32.4%.

The proportion of one-person households decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across Yorkshire and The Humber. The improvement brought health in York close to the regional average 30.6% in Yorkshire and The Humber described their health as good in 2011).

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of York residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 0.8% to 1.0% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.7%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in York remained close to 1.0%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and York by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in York

Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation in York, the largest percentage point increase was among those who said they had no religion, rising 14.7 points between 2001 and 2011. The census question about religion is voluntary, so varying response rates mean caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

In 2011, 32.7% of respondents in York said they had no religion, up from 17.9% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of respondents who described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Around 64.5% of respondents in York said they were Christian, down from 80.5% in 2001. About 1.1% said they were Muslim, up from 0.6% a decade prior.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population that said they had no religion in York increased by 15 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and York by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in York at a faster rate than in Selby (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with York).

In York, the proportion of private renting increased from 9.9% in 2001 to 17.9% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Selby increased from 5.8% to 11.0%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 15.9%.

The rate of social housing in York fell from 15.0% to 14.0%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 72.6% to 66.1%.

Private renting in York increased by 8 percentage points

Percentage of households in York, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in York

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased here at a faster rate than in nearby Selby.

In York, the proportion of single people increased from 32.3% in 2001 to 38.6% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Selby increased from 22.7% to 26.6%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 28.6% to 33.9%.

The proportion of married people in York fell from 49.5% to 44.3%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner remained close to 10.5%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of York residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.0% to 4.1% in the decade to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (83.9%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 70.3% in 2001. While the percentage of York residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21.7% to 12.0%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in York decreased by 3.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in York, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in York

In 2011, 3.4% of York residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from 1.1% in 2001. The 2.3 percentage point change was the largest increase among ethnic groups in this area.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 94.3% of people in York said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 97.8% in 2001. About 1.2% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.6% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.2% to 0.6%.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in York increased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and York by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in York working less than 16 hours increased from 2.4% to 3.8% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 12 (8.4%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 11.2% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in York increased by 1.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in York, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

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